From Scan to Stand: 3D Laser Scanning and Drone Data in the Second Assassination Attempt of a U.S. President

On 15 September 2024, Donald J. Trump was targeted in a sniper‐style attack at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida. The perpetrator, Ryan Wesley Routh, was later convicted by a federal jury of attempted assassination and related weapons offences. The complexity of the incident — involving a vantage point in shrubbery, a defined victim movement path, and multi-agent response — presented a unique challenge to forensic documentation and courtroom presentation.

This session presents a detailed case study of how terrestrial LiDAR scanning and drone‐based photogrammetry were integrated into the investigation, product development, and expert testimony processes. Under a rapid timeline, a multi-disciplinary team collected high-resolution 3D point clouds and aerial imagery of the golf course scene, the fence line hiding site, and the ballistic trajectory considerations. These datasets were then transformed into scaled technical diagrams, immersive flythroughs, and additional 3-D visualizations for use in witness testimony and jury briefings.

Attendees will gain insight into the end-to-end workflow: from capture strategy in a dynamic security environment, through registration and processing of scan and drone data, to generation of courtroom-ready deliverables that bridge complex spatial data and juror comprehension. Particular attention will be paid to how the visualizations supported the prosecution’s narrative of intent, position, and line‐of‐sight, and how they aided cross-examination preparation and expert-witness orientation.